We help people aged 50+ keep active and free of pain meds even if their doctors and kids are telling them to "just take it easy."

Postural Prehab vs Rehab

It is difficult in today's world of desk jobs and prolonged commutes to maintain proper posture, however posture is frequently the underlying culprit that leads to neck, shoulder, and back pain. The reason proper posture is so difficult to maintain is because you must constantly fight gravity to avoid falling into positions of comfort. These comfort positions usually consist of slouching in our chairs at work or in the car which causes a chain reaction beginning at the pelvis and works it way up to the neck and head. After staying in this position for hours at a time (usually all day at work), anterior hip and chest structures become tight (hypomobile) with posterior back/scapular muscles becoming over stretched and weak. The exact opposite is usually true regarding the neck; anterior muscles become over stretched and weak with posterior structures becoming hypomobile. Once this new "learned posture" begins, neck, shoulder, and or back pain is usually not far behind.

There are 3 main components to improving posture: joint flexibility, proprioceptive awareness, and postural muscle strength. It is very difficult to attain improved or proper posture without all 3 of these components. Because of this, it is important to identify the cause of person's breakdown into poor posture in the 1st place, in order to devise a customized plan for each individual. Many times ergonomics must be altered at work to promote improved posture, in addition to car seat positioning, and even standing posture.

Remember: prehab is usually always easier (and less painful) than rehab. Addressing posture proactivity will likely get better results with less effort than waiting for something to hurt and then taking action. Call Berman Physical Therapy to schedule your postural assessment and to devise a customized exercise plan today!

Functional Manual Therapy™ delivers effective results by targeting the source of your ailment, opposed to treating your symptoms which is commonly found in traditional PT clinics. Whether it's acute neck pain or a 20 year history of chronic low back pain, functional manual therapy delivers immediate results by restoring the body to its natural efficient state. With this treatment technique, it's not uncommon to find the cause of rotator cuff symptoms to be inefficiencies of the cervical spine! Click on the blog link below to see a more elaborate explanation of how cervical spine dysfunction can contribute to shoulder/arm symptoms including tennis elbow and even carpal tunnel syndrome.